Daisaku Ikeda, the president of Soka Gakkai International is worse than Devedatta

 Nichiren writes,

"However, they do not look like those referred to in the sutra: “monks who wear robes and stay in tranquility.” People do not suppose that they are “revered by the people as though they were arhats with Six Super human Powers.” Or, should I say that they are those who are “more cunning and less likely to reveal their faults?”

It is very important to determine who are the cunning monks. Think carefully. Who could be more cunning than a monk who states, "I am not a monk, I am a layman." From the perspective of this age and time, we would have to conclude that it is the business suited lay vice presidents and President of the SGI who are these cunning monks. Those who are looked up to as living Buddhas or having Superhuman Powers ("He could read my thoughts.", "How could anyone but a living Buddha collect so many awards and honors?", "Who but Daisaku Ikeda could write three hundred books." -- discounting of course his dozens of ghost writers) - that is who is the most cunning of the cunning monks.

Nichiren goes on to reveal another way to determine who is in fact the third of the Three Powerful enemies. Here he uses the Zen monks as an example:

"Monks who study only the writings refer to those who are concerned only with the scholastic aspects without understanding the true meaning of the scriptures through wisdom; and Zen monks who are concerned only with

formality refer to those who are concerned with the conventions of meditation without firmly grasping the fundamentals. This is the same as the meditation of Brahmans, who will never gain complete freedom from delusions and evil passions. T'ien-t'ai's statement that some Zen monks concentrate only on meditation is an understatement sypathetic to them. In actuality, they lack both practice in meditation as well as wisdom to understand the doctrine. Those who practice Zen consider only the meditation important and pay little attention to the study of doctrines. They interpretate sutras from the viewpoint of meditation in such an absurd way as to say that the eight-fold Evil Path and the Eight Winds make the sixteen-feet tall Buddha, and the Five Elements of all existences and the Three Poisons of greed, anger, and stupidity make the Eight-fold Evil Path. They confuse the six sensory organs with the Six superhuman Powers, or confuste the basic elements of the material world (earth, water, fire, and wind) with the Four Noble Truths. That such interpretations of the sutras are the worst of all is beyond question, an absurdity not worthy of discussion."

If you have spoken to the top leaders of SGI, you will know that they are not much different than the Zen monks, confusing the very basic concepts of Buddhism with meaningless but sometimes ornate rhetoric. They are also like Sammibo, a former disciple of Nichiren Daishonin who became arrogant thus distorting his teachings. If you haven't spoken to the top leaders, here are some examples.

"In the November 9, 1992 World Tribune (WT) p. 5, the late Richard Causton, former general director of the SGI-UK, stated,

"We must deeply understand that the heritage of the Universal Law of Nam-myoho-renge-kyo can only be transmitted through organizations joined in unity, based on faith in Nichiren Daishonin's Buddhism and the principle of the oneness of master and disciple." (emphasis added). Mr. Causton also explains his reference to "the oneness of master and disciple" as follows: "All of us who chant Nam-myoho-renge-kyo, which our ultimate master, Nichiren Daishonin, taught us, can develop the eyes of the Buddha; but it is President Ikeda, our master in life, who guides us through the rocks and shoals of this life, with pride and gratitude. President Ikeda has taught me everything. "The article also states: "Hence, the master gives his guidance based on his interpretations of the Gosho in contemporary terms and his experience of action, both for his own human revolution and for guiding the movement for kosen-rufu. We as disciples, must then set out to prove its validity for ourselves . .

Please note the focus on President Ikeda and not on the Eternal Shakyamuni, Namu myoho Renge kyo, the Lotus Sutra, nor the Daishonin.

"An editorial in the WT of November 16, 1992, p. 2, stated:

"One way [of making 'sincerity' real in our lives] is to constantly renew our determination to live with sincerity by putting President Ikeda's guidance into action every day . . . It's important to study Nichiren Daishonin's writings and the guidance of President Ikeda, but unless we put all these words into action, they are meaningless."

In the September 12, 1994 WT, p. 5, Senior Vice General Director David Kasahara stated:

” . . . The more we strictly follow the Law, including, in my mind, President Ikeda’s guidance, the more capable we become at being flexible in our awareness of what others need for their happiness. . . .”

The Law is President Ikeda’s guidance according to SGI. SGI members chant Nam(u) Myoho renge kyo with their mouths but Nam(u) Daisaku Ikeda and Nam(u) Daisaku Ikeda’s guidance with their hearts. Next, he will have his guidance inscribed on the Gohonzon.

It is also implied that President Ikeda's guidance is superior to the guidance of the Gohonzon, Buddha Shakyamuni, and Nichiren Daishonin.

"In the January 11, 1993 WT, p. 4, Mr. Ikeda stated:

"Since the Buddhist way of mentor and disciple is the ultimate way for humanity, it is impossible to grasp even the tiniest fragment of it if your efforts are only half-hearted. How faithfully did Mr. Toda follow and protect Mr. Makiguchi? And how faithfully did I follow and protect Mr. Toda? To a degree nearly unimaginable by people today. I could not hope to serve that great leader of Buddhism, Mr. Toda, without a determination to give up my own life if necessary. In that fierce determination we find the very essence of what it is to be human."

The Daishonin's master was the Eternal Shakyamuni and the Lotus Sutra. Again, again and again he stated to rely on the Law and not on the person.

In the May 3, 1996 WT, p. 10, Mr. Ikeda stated:

"Ultimately, Buddhism comes down to the person. I did not wait to place my trust in President Toda until I had learned about the Daishonin's teachings. Rather, I came to trust Buddhism because I first believed in the person, Josei Toda."

Rely on the person and not on the Law is the teaching of the Soka Gakkai

while Nichiren teaches in On Repaying Debts of Gratitude: 

In a scripture called the Nirvana Sutra, the Buddha says, “Rely on the Law and not upon persons.” Relying on the Law here means relying on the various sutras. Not relying upon persons means not relying on persons other than the Buddha, such as the bodhisattvas Universal Worthy and Manjushrī or the various Buddhist teachers I have enumerated earlier.

In the SGI May study preparation lecture on Letter to Misawa by the head of the SGI study department, the jist of Greg Martin's lecture was that, through faith in the oneness of mentor and disciple, faith that the disciple is one with the Buddha, Daisaku Ikeda (specifically and our seniors in faith, generally), we can prevent the Devil of the Sixth Heaven from entering into our lives and organization. Don't drop "oneness" when entrusting yourself to President Ikeda or a senior or even when discussing the mentor disciple relationship. Obviously this was a very very important point because he made it several times).

Another "important" point he made, was not to succumb to the tantalizing temptation for power and authority [except in relation to the mentor, Daisaku Ikeda and your seniors in faith]. This was another example of double speak.

Select a mentor (someone like Ikeda and your seniors) who has defeated the Devil of the Sixth Heaven . Substitute wisdom for faith (faith in the mentor and your seniors). About the organization he said, one reed can't stand alone which is double talk because one moment earlier he discussed self reliant faith and practice and in the next moment, reliance on SGI.

Greg Martin went on in his lecture on the Letter to Misawa to say that we can transform ourselves through reading and putting president Ikeda's guidance into practice but he never touched upon those enemies of the Lotus Sutra, such as the Shingon priests and their teachings nor did he discuss the principle of not begrudging one's life for the Lotus Sutra. Neither did he mention Nichiren having contrasted strong faith with the weak faith of the Nun Usabusa. He also talked very little about the Supreme Votary of the Lotus Sutra, Nichiren Daishonin. However, he did mention the Daimoku and teaching others to the best of their ability but his conclusion was that the one vehicle to realize the widespread propagation of the Law (Kosen Rufu) is the teaching of mentor and disciple. The reality is, this important writing of Nichiren Daishonin has nothing to say about anything that remotely resembles the SGI teachings on mentor and disciple.

In general the SGI maintains, like the zen school,

"The Lotus Sutra is a finger pointing to the moon while the Zen School is the moon itself. After grasping the moon there is no need for the finger to point at it. Zen is the heart of the Buddha while the Lotus Sutra is merely His words. Having finished preaching all the sutras, including the Lotus, the Buddha picked up a bunch of flowers and gave it to Kasyapa because he alone understood what the Buddha meant. As proof the Buddha entrusted him with His kesa (vestment), which had been handed down through twenty-eight patriarchs of Buddhism in India to six patriarchs of Buddhism in China."

They assert either that the Lotus Sutra has lost its power or it is too difficult to understand without the instruction of their mentor Daisaku Ikeda.

Depreciating the Daishonin, the Lotus Sutra, and especially the Gohonzon, (the representation of the Law and Eternal Buddha),  Daisaku Ikeda and the top SGI leaders prove themselves, the Third of the Three Powerful Enemies of this present age. In fact, Daisaku Ikeda, attempting to usurp the rightful position of Shakyamuni Buddha of the Juryo Chapter of the Lotus Sutra and Nichiren Daishonin, is worse than Devedatta.

For the Ukrainian and Russian war dead, for the end of the war quickly, and for World War III never to occur.

Namu Myoho renge kyo 

Namu Myoho renge kyo 

Namu Myoho renge kyo 

"Answer: If a man builds a road for others and someone loses his way on it, is that the fault of the road-builder?..."

The Soka Gakkai chants Daimoku. Question: Why do they fail in this lifetime to reap the benefits of Myoho renge kyo, the pure and perfect teaching?" - The Selection of the Time

Before answering the question, what is the road that leads to emancipation?

Myoho renge kyo, "will be a lamp in the darkness of the road to the next world and a fine horse to carry you over the mountains of death. It is like the sun and moon in the heavens or Mount Sumeru on earth. It is a ship to ferry people over the sea of the sufferings of birth and death. It is the teacher who leads all people to Buddhahood and enlightenment. This great mandala has never yet been propagated anywhere in Jambudvīpa in the more than 2,220 years since the Buddha’s." - On Offering Prayers to the Mandalaof the Mystic Law

"Now we have come to this latter age, when people are no longer sages. Each enters his own dark road, and all alike forget the direct way. How pitiful that no one cures them of their blindness! How painful to see them taking up these false beliefs in vain! As a result, everyone from the ruler of the nation on down to the common people believes that there are no true sutras outside the three Pure Land sutras, and no Buddhas other than the Buddha Amida with his two attendants." - Establishing the Correct Law for the Peace of the Land

Please remember that there are Three Great Secret Laws. The Gohonzon is both a representation of the Ceremony in the Air whereby the Original Eternal Buddha Buddha Shakyamuni transfers the essence of his teachings, the heart of the Lotus Sutra to the Bodhisattvas of the Earth. It is also a representation of the Eternal Buddha.

SGI has neither reverence nor gratitude for this Buddha Instead they give all their reverence and gratitude to one man alone, Daisaku Ikeda. They claim that Myoho renge kyo is ineffective unless one takes Daisaku Ikeda in their heart, as their sole teacher and mentor (master), not Shakyamuni Buddha and not Nichiren Daishonin, the Great Priest.. Also, their doctrine of mentor and disciple diminishes the power of Myoho renge kyo and Gohonzon by insisting that without Daisaku Ikeda, their practice is nothing. Not only does it diminish the powers of the Law and the Buddha but it diminishes the powers of one's faith and practice and "any weakness in faith will be a cause for regret. he cart that overturns on the road ahead is a warning to the one behind." - Letter to the Brothers. They also assert that without attending their meetings, one can not attain Buddhahood. This goes against Chapter 21 which states that wherever myoho renge kyo is recited, practiced, and revered, is the the High Sanctuary, be it be in a home, a forest, by a river or on top of a mountain:

"If Nichiren’s compassion is truly great and encompassing, Namu-myoho-renge-kyo will spread for ten thousand years and more, for all eternity, for it has the beneficial power to open the blind eyes of every living being in the country of Japan, and it blocks off the road that leads to the hell of incessant suffering. Its benefit surpasses that of Dengyō and T’ien-t’ai, and is superior to that of Nāgārjuna and Mahākāshyapa." - Repaying Debts of Gratitude.

We must conclude that, though the Daimoku is perfect, and having met it, The Soka Gakkai by going against the teachings of Nichiren and the Lotus Sutra (regarding the Three Great Secret Laws), their weak faith and practice faith and will not enabale them to cross the vast ocean of life and death.

'''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''"Any weakness in faith will be a cause for regret. The cart that overturns on the road ahead is a warning to the one behind."

As to the power of Namu Myoho renge kyo....

From the mouth of the Supreme Votary of the Lotus Sutra:

"The villainous Tōjō Saemon Kagenobu once hunted the deer and other animals kept by Seichō-ji, and tried to force the priests in the various lodging temples to become Nembutsu believers. At that time I pitted myself against Tōjō and supported the lord of the manor. I composed a fervent oath that read, “If the two temples Kiyosumi and Futama should come into Tōjō’s possession, I will discard the Lotus Sutra!” Then I tied it to the hand of the object of devotion (Bodhisattva Space Treasury), to which I prayed continuously. Within a year, both temples had been freed from Tōjō’s(Kakenobo's) grasp. Certainly Bodhisattva Space Treasury will never forget this, so how can those priests who make light of me avoid being forsaken by the heavenly gods?"

Then again, we have the trillions of Daimoku chanted from the mouths of SGI members, with an oath on millions of their altars to save the so-called High Sanctuary of True Buddhism. It turned to dust.

Nichiren taught that if one cannot traverse a moat a few feet wide, how can one cross the great ocean of life and death?

Two realizations: One must become a true votary of the Lotus Sutra and disciple of Nichiren in order to have one's prayer's answered. And some prayers, those that are civilization changing, will not be answered in this lifetime no matter how hard we pray. Nichiren teaches that Kosen Rufu as a reality will take 10 thousand years and more. I pray daily to have the influence and power in the future to accelerate Kosen Rufu. According to Nichiren, not only is a horizontal spread of the teaching necessary but a vertical spread through a Wheel Turning King. One such example, in the Former Day of the Law, was Ashoka the Great.

Pulitzer Prize–winning Journalist Chris Hedges talks about Russia, Ukraine, Nato expansion and his experience on the ground reporting from Eastern Europe during the fall of the Soviet Union

The SGI is just another kind of parasite that sucks away its hosts' lives. Its effect is ANTI-value-creation...From SGI Whistleblowers

 The "actual proof" of the Soka Gakkai and SGI is "value destruction", not "value creation".

We've already noted how the Soka Gakkai destroyed hundreds of years of Japanese culture through their "hobobarai" (destroying objects from other religions) policy during the early decades:

Even in Japan, the Soka Gakkai has actively DESTROYED Japanese culture. This is such an important topic that we have several articles and discussions about it:

How Soka Gakkai destroyed Japanese culture the same way Ikeda's idol Mao did in China's "Cultural Revolution"

More on how the Soka Gakkai destroyed Japanese culture

More on how Soka Gakkai/SGI aims to destroy culture

The Soka Gakkai/SGI's actual goal is to destroy society via erasing and destroying culture

My view why Soka Gakkai destroys Japanese culture?

A Japanese Soka Gakkai tragedy

As Dr. Ramani was explaining here:

all the human potential lost through this subtle denigration of a person's ability and capability - the novels and screenplays never written, the music that would never be composed, the voices that would never be heard - all because the narcissist wanted to KEEP that person from leaving. From becoming confident enough and successful enough TO leave. Source

We already have several accounts of how SGI involvement robbed people of their potential - here's a memorable one:

I was in for 19 years. For about ten of the 19 years I did so many activities as a Unit Chief, District Chief, YMD Chapter Chief and YMD Headquarters Chief, even in medical school and residency. Today I am a general practitioner. Were it not for so many activities, I would have been an interventional cardiologist, trauma surgeon, or board certified ER doctor. All were within my grasp but Kosen Rufu was my first priority. Don't get me wrong, I still worked for four years as an ER doctor and had some very lucrative jobs and helped many patients but I never realized my full potential as a physician thanks to the stupid SGI activities. Source

The SGI robbed the world of an interventional cardiologist, trauma surgeon, or board certified ER doctor.

And how many SGI members fail to achieve their dreams and goals?

Then there are the unrealized dreams.

Shortly after the temporary Community Center opened on Park Avenue and 17th street (1979?), I went to a Young Men's Division meeting on Saturday. The purpose of the meeting was to make our personal determinations for the future and to present them to Pres. Ikeda.

Like HE cares ~snort~

We wrote down one or two line determinations in a binder-type book, one after the other. The meeting opened and to my surprise, every determination was read. I was uplifted by the determinations, they were so lofty: US senators; judges; congressmen; doctors; lawyers; artists; musicians; and a few teachers, for Kosen Rufu, for Sensei. Final encouragement was given by Mr. Kasahara. The jist of what he said was to chant and do lots of activities and we would all realize our dreams without fail. At the end of the meeting, I'll never forget, this Japanese senior leader going around and shaking hands very vigorously, saying, "Ah!, future senator, future congressman, future doctor, for President Ikeda, neh?"

Never for yourself. Never for the world. Ikeda is everything or your entire practice is nothing.

After the meeting, I'll never forget the animated conversation I had with my best friend at the time. I'm sorry if he reads this post and is offended but it is very instructive in terms of the truth of the SGI. He determined to become a US senator. He told me he applied to become one of the "Who's Who" of American Youth, and he determined to do so and was encouraged by his leaders to do so, so it would happen. It mattered nothing that he had accomplished little outside of the SGI. He even held on to his dream of becoming a US senator for a time. He had attained the level of YMD headquarters chief, but he could barely hold on to a job for more than several months at a time, let alone finish college. He says he's doing great, but to me, the SGI is just a fantasy land of broken dreams.

You will see replies to this post that this was an isolated example but if we delve into the historicity and the actuality of things we will see that of the ~ 150 young men at the meeting it would be safe to say that 120 stopped practicing with the SGI alltogether, during the last 29 years. That leaves somewhere around 30 who continue to practice. Of those 30 how many have gone on to achieve a modicum of success (actual proof being touted by the SGI as the only reliable proof of a teaching)? How many have gone on to become senators, congressmen, judges, doctors, lawyers, accomplished artists or musicians, noted scientists, teachers, etc? To my knowledge not one has gone on to become a senator, congressman or judge. Perhaps one or two has gone on to become a doctor or lawyer and there were conceivably a few who had gone on to become respected teachers, artists, scientists etc. But out of this handful of "succesful" people, how many realized their determinations from that day in 1979? From what I've witnessed, the "actual proof" attained by these SGI practitioners was actually worse than the "actual proof" attained by those that stopped practicing or by a similar cohort who never practiced. For example, take any group of 150 highly motivated young men. One would expect that at least ten to twenty percent would go on to realize their determinations. But through the SGI faith and practice, probably less than five percent realized their dreams. However many (or few) there are, this is hardly the universal actual proof that the SGI espouses.

The bottom line is, there is no actual proof in the "Buddhism" of the SGI, reguardless of how persuasively and aggressively the practitioners would have you believe. They have distorted the teachings of the Original Eternal Shakyamuni Buddha, the Lotus Sutra and Nichiren Daishonin. How could they demonstrate actual proof? Source

All those highly motivated, idealistic young people spent the entire sum of their motivation and idealism on SGI - accomplishing nothing for themselves or society. Here's another case study of a highly motivated, idealistic young person who attained high leadership levels within SGI but never accomplished her own goals in life.

SGI simply burned their potential to ash, and the world is the poorer for it.

This happened to me as well - after I left one systems analyst position, I was offered another (without having to send out a single resume). Sounds "mystic" so far, right? Well, the salary was less than 1% more than what I'd been making at my previous position; someone with my skills and experience could easily have expected a 15% - 25% salary increase over the previous position. BECAUSE I was in SGI and completely brainwashed about the "benefits" of the nohonzon and "protection of the Universe", I decided that this was the "right" job that the Universe had sent into my life - and I took it, without trying to negotiate for better compensation because I felt that would be "disrespectful" to the Powers That Be that had seen fit to deliver this "great benefit" right into my lap. I'd been indoctrinated to believe that the best way to get more/better "benefits" was to be supremely grateful for every good thing, however trivial, on the same premise that, if you were visiting a friend, you'd get much better results if you said, "Thank you so much for the tea - it's really delicious! Do you think I might have another cup, please?" instead of demanding "MORE TEA NOW!!" That's the example given in the indoctrination I received. So I lived in fear of offending the nohonzon, the Universe, the shoten zenjin, everything! This is the result of SGI's fear training, which a great many former SGI members report experiencing.

So in my case, I lost that potential for improving my own circumstances and advancing my career in the normal manner - because of SGI.

And let's not forget how SGI membership destroys individuals' social capital, depriving them of the very natural opportunities and support that normal human relationships would have provided. SGI members become poorer in every sense from their SGI involvement - those that do well do so in spite of SGI, not because of it.

This is the same argument made for more funding for parasite control in Africa - there, so many lives are robbed of their potential by parasite infections that this is cited as the main reason for the rampant, chronic poverty across subSaharan Africa.

The SGI is just another kind of parasite that sucks away its hosts' lives. Its effect is ANTI-value-creation.

More from mandalamama

For so many years, not one of my prayers was ever answered, not even the most meager prayers. Over the past few years, I see the big picture blossoming and I've come to this place where I'm blessed with less. How little can a person survive on, even thrive on? Perhaps I'm the Marie Kondo of Kempon Hokke; "Get rid of that which does not bring you joy." I get to help people in so many little ways & I've learned to see ALL a person can give, to appreciate every little blessing. A few days after a move to a tiny public housing apartment, I stepped on a tack, but it WAS a blessing! I had needed one to hang my Gohonzon. Such has been my entire life, & it now fills me with joy 💗🙏

Mandalamama says

Yeah, day one after I joined the SGI, the Ikeda-worship became apparent & it bothered me. In Japan, I bought my butsudan at a store, all the accessories, but declined one: a book & book-holder, to hold open one of Ikeda's many many daily books on the altar in front of me. That made no sense to me, I liked to read Nichiren & the Lotus Sutra in my hands. After that I just couldn't stand all the cultish aspects of SGI-Japan. Constant activities, forcing subscriptions of papers and magazines full of Ikeda's words & little else. Then ... exams!? Nah. Back in the States the SGI was just as smarmy & I left. I learned to beware anything that puts anything between me and Namu Myoho Renge Kyo. Kempon Hokke a is a quiet space with no additives.

Delbert Grady who speaks Japanese says:

"Yasu Kashiwabara's guidance at the Niigata Prefecture WD leaders meeting, February 1991. Kashiwabara appears in THR and NHR as Katsu Kiyohara

"To be honest and to never lie are not the same! It's just not possible to live without telling a lie! That's not what it's about (laughter)! You can determine to live without telling a lie, and you won't last a single day (laughter). To be truly honest is to believe in the correct Buddhist teachings."

Sure explains a whole lot about SGI members..."

Nichiren, on the other hand, states that the Buddha instructs us to NEVER lie.